Boston Research Center
for the 21st Century
NEWSLETTER : SPRING/SUMMER 2001 : NUMBER 17
CHANGE THE WORLD!
......................
DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES ON GLOBAL JUSTICE
ON FEBRUARY 2-3 OVER 180 SCHOLARS the movement a collective hallucination,
and activists gathered at the BRC to the Internet come to life, or a response
assess the promise and purpose of the to the privatization of every aspect of life?”
global justice movement. Change the
On Friday night Bello’s keynote
World!: Building Post-Seattle Alliances
address took aim at global economic
for Economic Justice was a multi-genera-
institutions: the World Trade Organization
tional conversation and an open forum
(WTO), the International Monetary
on the future.
Fund (IMF), and the World Bank. He
Philippine activist, scholar, and explained that participants in the move-
author Walden Bello zeroed in on the ment are “united by one thing, their
failure of global institutions in his opposition to the expansion of a system
Friday night keynote, while journalist that [has] promoted corporate-led
Naomi Klein’s rhetorical question globalization at the expense of justice,
loomed over the Saturday sessions: “Is community, national sovereignty,
IKEDA PROPOSAL RETHINKS
THE MISSION OF EDUCATION
......................
EDUCATION IS AT THE HEART OF GLOBAL
ethics. And yet how to go about educating
children is a topic of constant discussion
and debate throughout the world. Phase I
of Daisaku Ikeda’s provocative proposal is
designed to address what he describes as
“education in crisis.” Building on the legacy
of Tsunesaburo Makiguchi (1871-1944),
Ikeda charges society-at-large with a host
of weaknesses in the educational system.
“There is no future for a society that has
lost sight of the fact that education is its
Daisaku Ikeda with school children in Japan. true mission,” he says.
On the matter of discipline, which he describes as “a flight from learning,” Ikeda
urges his readers to think of children as “a mirror of society.” In order to bring learning
in line with the expectations and needs of society, Ikeda advocates a revised curriculum
and less government interference with schools. To teachers everywhere he sends a
message that many will appreciate: “If we are to truly change school education, empow-
erment of teachers must be a component.” continued on page 11
cultural diversity
and ecological
sustainability.”
Prior to
Bello’s presenta-
tion, Boston
College student
Mark Pedulla
set the stage
Walden Bello
with powerful
first-hand observations of life in Central
America. He spoke of his friend who,
because of a newly privatized healthcare
continued on page 8
Inside:
Elise Boulding Honored.................page 3
Beyond Consumerism ..................page 4
Guest Interview ............................page 6
Amartya Sen ..............................page 10
Partnership Economics ................page 11
Buddhist-Christian Dialogue ......page 12
Book Talk ..................................page 13
The BRC Focuses on Economic Justice
The Boston Research Center’s 2001 Conference
and Lecture Series was entitled Economics
for Human Well-Being: Advancing a People’s
Agenda. The two conferences and two public
lectures addressed a range of issues related to
economic justice and are summarized in this
newsletter. The full text of conference keynotes
by Walden Bello, Juliet Schor, and Riane Eisler
are available online under 2001 Events at
www.brc21.org.
FROM THE DIRECTOR
The first half of 2001 represents a culmination of over seven years of intensive effort for
the BRC… and a new beginning. When the Center was established in September 1993,
we announced our mission: to promote consensus-building dialogue on global ethics. We
have pursued this goal chiefly through educational conferences and lectures that have drawn
on diverse voices to focus attention on four fundamental values: human rights, environ-
mental security, nonviolence, and economic justice.

This spring, we held the last of our biannual series on global ethics, a thought-provoking examination of what is
proving to be one of the most critical issues for a peaceful world in the 21st century — economic justice. With help
and inspiration from conference collaborators Charlie Derber, Mike Prokosch, and Juliet Schor, and the excellent
coordination skills of BRC event staff Karen Nardella and Beth Zimmerman, we attracted nearly 700 participants
to four public events.

What have we learned from these biannual series on global ethics? First of all, we’ve realized how critically impor-
tant the Earth Charter is to all the values we have been exploring. The Earth Charter is a people’s treaty that
articulates a comprehensive set of ethical principles to guide social, economic, and environmental attitudes and
behaviors in the 21st century. This is why the BRC’s future work on global ethics will turn toward the practical
goal of building networks for the Earth Charter, especially among youth groups, the inheritors of the planet.

We’ve also learned how critical the voice of women is to the creation of a culture of peace—a culture in which
the seeds of Earth Charter ethics can find hospitable soil. We will continue, therefore, to focus on women’s leader-
ship for peace. Early next year we will inaugurate a series of Women’s Lectures on Human Values, in collaboration
with Wellesley College, to honor American women in history and contemporary times who have stood up and
taken courageous action for a better future

Another facet of our work over the next several years will build on BRC founder Daisaku Ikeda’s recent education
proposal. As you will read in this issue, he calls for a paradigm shift in regard to education, a shift that would
have society serve the needs of education, not the other way around. During the next phase of the Center’s activi-
ties, we will work toward such a paradigm shift. In doing so, we expect to draw inspiration from American edu-
cators and thinkers with similar visions, including John Dewey, the father of modern education, and
Transcendentalists Emerson and Thoreau.

As we develop concrete projects actualizing these goals—in support of the Earth Charter, women’s leadership,
and a new vision of education—our guiding methodology takes a leaf from the theme of our first economic justice
conference this year: coalition-building. As we look to the future, our challenge will be “to build networks for
global citizenship and shared values.” We look forward to working with you as partners in this great task.

Virginia Straus, Executive Director

ECONOMIC JUSTICE SERIES REPORT AVAILABLE THIS SUMMER

A conference report of Economics for Human Well-Being: Advancing a People’s Agenda
will be available this summer. The report includes in-depth accounts of the proceedings
2 and the full text of keynote addresses by Walden Bello, Juliet Schor, and Riane Eisler,
as well as a paper by Amartya Sen. To order your copy, please send a written request to
.
. the BRC Publications Department, 396 Harvard Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 or by con-
.
. tacting pubs@brc21.org. We will bill you for $5.00 when we send the report.
.
.

ELISE BOULDING HONORED BY
PEACE STUDIES ASSOCIATION
......................
Alicia Cabezudo of Columbia University,
Virginia Straus, Elise Boulding, and
Ambassador Chowdhury gather after the
morning panel on “Institutional Contexts
of the Culture of Peace.”
THE PEACE STUDIES ASSOCIATION
partnered with the Peace and Justice
Studies Program at Tufts University
on March 30-April 1 to explore a
range of ideas contained in Elise
Boulding’s most recent book, Cultures
of Peace: The Hidden Side of History
(Syracuse University Press, 2000). A
lively slate of speakers was assembled
for the two-day event by PSA presi-
dent Paul Joseph of Tufts.
On Friday night, Cora Weiss of
the Hague Appeal for Peace spoke of
one of Elise Boulding’s key messages:
“Listening is the beginning of peace.”
Weiss honored the many facets of
“Elise the feminist… Elise the pacifist
… Elise the prophet” and went on to
emphasize that “gender equality must
be central to a culture of peace.”
Social psychologist Herb Kelman of
Harvard’s Program on International
Conflict Analysis and Resolution
focused his remarks on interactive
problem-solving. After posing the
question, “How does the concept of a
culture of peace relate to conflict reso-
lution?” he supported Elise Boulding’s
definition of a culture of peace as a
place that is “safe for conflict.”
Professor Kelman described this
further as a group or society that pro-
motes diversity and seeks to balance
a variety of needs.
Dessima Williams of Brandeis
University also spoke of “peaceable
diversity” and stressed the link
between peace and justice. “Peace
education is sterile unless we think
about the relationship of peace and
justice,” Professor Williams said.
On Saturday morning, the
emphasis turned to Institutional
Contexts for a Culture of Peace with
a three-person panel. Ambassador
Chowdhury of the Bangladesh
Mission to the UN focused on
UNESCO and his work on the UN
Decade for the Culture of Peace
(2000-2010). “There are no small
contributions to peace,” he said.
“They all add up.”
Professor Alicia Cabezudo of
Columbia University recalled a dra-
matic incident that took place 24
years ago when, as a young teacher,
she stood with her students and
watched a book burning carried out
by her government in Latin America.
It was that experience that motivated
her to become a peace educator.
Virginia Straus spoke of how the
process of creating the Earth Charter
reflected many of Elise Boulding’s key
principles of peace culture: listening,
faith in micro-level processes, the
Focus: EARTH CHARTER
the Earth Charter process from the beginning by hosting consultations, pub-
lishing books, and promoting the dissemination of information. The final
draft of the Earth Charter is now complete and is expected to be presented
to the UN for endorsement in 2002. To learn more about the Earth Charter
or participate in building grassroots momentum for UN endorsement, check
www.earthcharter.org or contact the BRC and request a copy of the current
Earth Charter brochure.
Justice is truth in action.
empowerment of civil society, and the
necessity of balancing human needs
for autonomy and bonding. Straus
emphasized the value of the Earth
Charter as a peoples’ treaty, pointing
out that, “The Earth Charter could
become a stepping stone for a
renewed UN in which global civil
society takes its place as an equal
partner with the governments of the
world, acting as a co-shaper of inter-
national law and policy.” She also
praised ground-breaking governments
like Costa Rica and the Russian
Republic of Tartarstan where the
principles of the Earth Charter have
been embraced and are being translated
into “zones of peace culture.”
The morning panel was followed
by break-out sessions led by Michael
True of Assumption College,
Kathleen Weiler of Tufts University,
and Greg
Mason of
Gustavus
Adolphus
College. After
lunch, Elise
Boulding con-
Peace Studies ducted one of
Association president her well-known
Paul Joseph of the “Imaging
Tufts University
Workshops”
Peace and Justice
Studies Program.
with assistance
from Gordon
Fellman, chair of Peace and Conflict
Studies at Brandeis University. The
afternoon continued with several
special interest sections. For example,
Richard Johnson and Naresh Dadlich
led a discussion comparing Mahatma
Gandhi’s philosophy of peace culture
with that of Elise Boulding. ■
The Boston Research Center has supported
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— JOSEPH JOUBERT, 1842 .
CONFERENCE SERIES
BEYOND AMERICAN
CONSUMERISM
.....................
CONSTRUCTING A TRANSFORMATIVE POLITICS
Juliet Schor explains the social impact of
consumer values.
THE SECOND CONFERENCE OF THE
economic justice series began with
a keynote address by Juliet Schor
entitled, “Toward a New Politics of
Consumption.” Schor is well-known
for placing the controversy over con-
sumerism in a broad social context, as
she has in her books, The Overworked
American, The Overspent American,
and Do Americans Shop Too Much?
As a well-known economist, social
critic, and acting chair of the
Women’s Studies Department at
Harvard University, Schor brings an
interdisciplinary perspective to her
work and is not shy about posing
uncomfortable questions: Is growth
inevitable? Are current American
patterns of consumption ecologically
viable? Should consumer issues be a
matter of public debate?
Schor’s position, particularly on
the link between consumerism and
environmental degradation, is clear:
“To support the average American
lifestyle, 500 pounds of natural
resources are moved or used up
4 each day for every American, and
this excludes water,” Schor says.
. values and to weave these values into
. Furthermore, she is quick to explain
. mental writer and activist Donella
.
.
. It is justice, not charity, that is wanting in the world.
that green technology is essential but
not sufficient to deal with American
consumerist habits, which are charac-
terized by insatiability.
Her keynote laid out the core
values of consumerism: novelty, a
built-in bias toward private ownership
of things that could be shared, the
desirability of globalization, and what
she described as “see no evil/hear no
evil” product information that allows
consumers to ignore the social and
environmental impact of their deci-
sions in the marketplace. “The
dynamics of our consumption pat-
terns,” Schor emphasized, “are unsus-
tainable and the globalization of con-
sumerism will be catastrophic.”
Elaborating on the relationship
between patterns of consumerism and
use of time, Schor referred to the
erosion in free time for families and
communities that has occurred in
America in recent years. “People are
time poor, sped up, and out of control,”
she said, adding that our “default
option” is to upscale with the herd.
Referring to the findings of some
sociologists, Schor reported that
materialism accounts for a range of
emotional and physical problems,
from depression to physical addictions.
Consumerism must be addressed in a
far-reaching social context, she insisted.
“We need to broaden the discussion
to include: What makes a good society?”
Among the quiet value shifts
that are occurring, Schor mentioned
the voluntary simplicity movement,
downshifting, and a growing group of
“cultural creatives” consisting, prima-
rily, of women like the late environ-
— MARY WOLLENSTONECRAFT, 1792
Meadows. In closing, Schor stressed
that a transformative movement
must be cross-cultural and cross-class.
“Most importantly,” she said, “it must
be about more, not less: more nature,
more security, more joy, more equality,
more time.”
Juliet Schor’s keynote was followed
by a provocative trialogue moderated
by Boston College professor of com-
munication Elfriede Fürsich. In addition
to Schor, speakers included University
of Florida professor of English James
Twitchell and Harvard Business
School assistant professor of market-
ing Douglas Holt. Dr. Twitchell sug-
gested that the ad culture is doing the
job that literature and politics used to
do by providing stories that give lives
meaning. Twitchell, the author of
Lead Us into Temptation: The Triumph
of American Materialism, brings a
cultural historian’s point of view to
modern marketing. “We’re not after
the thing but the aura, the meaning,”
he stated, as he explained the lure of
consumerist values.
Douglas Holt’s view diverged
slightly from that of James Twitchell.
Rather than look to products as
sources of meaning, Holt believes
that marketers appropriate meaning
from popular culture then build that
André Norman of the Ella J. Baker House
in Dorchester spoke in place of The
Reverend Eugene Rivers.
meaning into product marketing
with clever associations. “The system
has learned that it’s easier to look to
public culture as the wellspring of
the products,” he explained.
 Schor resisted the notion that
products bring real satisfaction or
meaning to human lives. “A deficit
of meaning is driving these [anti-
consumerism] movements. There is
a very widespread hunger in this
country for meaning,” she said.
The larger question of the eco-
nomic justice of consumerism led to
strong and opposing views. According
to Twitchell, there is an inherent
“fairness” in consumerism because it’s
up to individuals to decide if they
want to do what is necessary to get
Closing comments at the conference
with Professor Douglas Holt (Harvard
University), Professor James Twitchell
(University of Florida), Mr. André Norman
of the Ella J. Baker House, Professor
Elfriede Fürsich (Boston College), and
Professor Juliet Schor (Harvard University).
the“stuff ” they want. Juliet Schor
objected, refusing to accept “fair” as
an accurate depiction of what occurs
when access to employment is not fair
and economic opportunities are not
fairly distributed. “Fairness and equity
must be at the heart of any progres-
sive vision,” she said.
In the open discussion, BRC
executive director Ginny Straus
asked whether a new transformative
politics would seek to curb advertis-
ing. Dr. Schor, who would not want
to interfere with free speech, admitted
to a fantasy: a media not funded by
advertising.
A brief report on the AIDS in
Africa Project by Rajiv Rawat keyed
into the discussion on consumerism
with an update on the Global Day of
Action project. This demonstration
took place to support South Africa in
a climate of growing frustration with
pharmaceutical companies who were
sued three years ago for blocking
access to AIDS drugs in an effort to
protect patents and profits. “In the
past three years, 400,000 people have
died of AIDS in South Africa,” he
reported.
As the afternoon progressed,
Felice Yeskel, co-founder and co-direc-
tor of United for a Fair Economy,
addressed “Building a Movement
for Economic Justice: The Personal
and the Political,” by speaking out
of her childhood experience. As she
described the profound effect the
reality of social class had on her, she
explained that, as a student, she never
invited anyone from school to her
home. “Children know when they’re
poor,” she said.
Yeskel went on to define economic
inequality as a problem for our
democracy, a destabilizing force in
our economy, and a contributor to a
breakdown in the social fabric of civil
society. She invited the audience to
focus on successful social changes that
have already occurred to help us fight
our feelings of hopelessness. “Change
takes sacrifice. Investing in the possi-
bility of change is a complete act of
faith,” she said. “One of the most
important things each of us can do to
achieve economic justice is to become
a messenger of hope.”
Providing a concrete example of
individuals uniting to effect change,
Boston Mobilization’s Roni Krouzman
spoke of the success experienced by
the Boston University students who
have joined together to promote more
affordable housing in Boston where
135,000 students compete for 28,000
dorm rooms. The group has attended
zoning board meetings and is working
with tenant organizations to make a
difference.
Reverend Eugene Rivers, pastor
of the Azusa Christian Community in
Dorchester, Massachusetts, was
CONFERENCE SERIES
scheduled to speak in the afternoon
but could not participate due to an
unexpected conflict. In his place, he
sent his associate, André Norman,
director of operations of the Ella J.
Baker House in Dorchester. Norman’s
remarks emphasized the need for
education and brought an entirely
different approach to the question of
consumerism. “When you grow up
poor, you just plain don’t have,” he
said. “Talking about consumerism is
a luxury. If I had a magic wand, I
would free the poor.”
Norman works with young men
who are coming out of prison and
trying to build a future. “What about
the have-nots who want?” he asked,
implying that it is easy for people
who are comfortable to tell others
they shouldn’t be seduced by a con-
sumerist culture. “What does down-
scaling mean to someone who has a
Lexus? Would you give up sending
your kids to good schools?”
In the final exchange of views,
moderator Elfriede Fürsich urged
those present to learn about the eco-
nomic and corporate power behind
the media and how this power drives
values and expectations in the mar-
ketplace. James Twitchell suggested
that in spite of its superficiality,
consumerism can actually have an
equalizing effect. “Maybe the world
of ‘stuff ’ does have some redemptive
power,” he pondered aloud. Juliet
Schor declared Twitchell’s interpreta-
tion of meaning “a precarious one”
while Holt suggested that “one
provocative possibility is rebranding
the values around brands. We as cus-
tomers can demand those values [that
we want].” André Norman returned
to the desire for personal and collective
transformation that had motivated
the conference with a sense of humor
and a serious point: “I deputize you
as activists. You can make a change.” ■ 5
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—Helen Marie Casey
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GUEST
RECASTING GLOBALIZATION
INTERVIEW
VITTORIO FALSINA joined Harvard’s
Center for the Study of World
Religions in January 1999 as a
visiting professor. Since then, he has
taught courses at the Harvard
Divinity School entitled “World
Religions and Globalization: Ethics
of Resistance and Change” and
“Religious Ethics and International
Political Economy.” Currently,
Dr. Falsina is the project director of
Recasting Globalization: Religion,
Culture, and Ethnicity, a three-year
research project based at the Center
for the Study of World Religions. A
native of Italy and former Warren
Weaver Fellow at the Rockefeller
Foundation, Dr. Falsina holds a
Ph.D. in Ethics and Society and an
M.A. in International Relations,
both from the University of Chicago.
BRC newsletter editor Patti M. Sides
recently interviewed Dr. Falsina.
What are the goals of your research
project?
Something is missing from the cur-
rent discussion about globalization,
mainly the dimensions of religion,
culture, and ethnicity. We tend to
6 and more reliable profits?
speak about globalization as an eco-
. nomic factor, but globalization is hav-
. ing a major impact on many other
.
. aspects of society. Starting with this
.
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......................
wider view, we have conceived a proj-
ect that aims to fill a gap in the litera-
ture and contribute to the discussion
about globalization. Secondly, we
hope to provide in-depth information
to religious organizations and busi-
nesses, as well as government leaders.
And finally, we want to provide an
ethical compass to reorient the process
of globalization toward a more human,
sustainable, peaceful globalization.
Why is this kind of information valuable?
We believe that by making in-depth
information available to key stake-
holders of globalization, we might
help them to lower the threshold of
mistrust and to open the path to
cooperation. According to findings
provided by the literature on interna-
tional relations, the decisive factor
promoting cooperation is the provi-
sion of high-quality information
about other players’ beliefs, intentions
and norms of behavior. For example,
every firm that tries to set up a
branch in a foreign country—which
is more and more the case in a global
economy—has to make a risk assess-
ment. Today, risk assessment officers
have no knowledge of the local cul-
ture, of religions, or of local initia-
tives. How can they possibly interact
with people in the region? You under-
stand how major this deficiency is
when you have operations in places
like Indonesia losing their invest-
ments overnight because of ethnic
strife and religious struggles.
Are you saying that part of the goal
of this research project is to assist
multinational corporations in their
desire for more secure investments
We want to be helpful to corporations
but not, as you suggest, by helping them
to secure business in the way they
usually do it. We want to change the
culture of doing business by creating
a bridge of communication and coop-
eration between different cultural
approaches to business. This is what
we mean by recasting globalization in
new terms by putting the economy
where it belongs, in the whole context
of human relations. It is a serious mis-
take to consider the global economy as
a self-contained system independent
of societies and their individual agents.
Economies are socially constituted.
Business is not the only sector of
society you are focused on, is it?
Not at all. Our project has identified
seven areas of society corresponding
to the interests of key stakeholders in
globalization: academia, business,
government, civil society, labor,
media, and gender. What is unique
about the project is that it will study
how religion, culture and ethnicity—
which we identify as the key ”inde-
pendent variables”—affect the basic
sectors of society under conditions of
globalization. Nothing like this has
been done before. This is a truly
multi-disciplinary project.
Structuring your project and coordi-
nating such broad expertise sounds
challenging. Can you describe your
methodology?
We started by testing the value propo-
sition of the project, asking, ”What
are we doing?” and “Who will bene-
fit?” and “How can we be useful, to
corporations for example, but in an
intelligent way?” Nancy Nielsen, who
at that time was vice-president for
communications at the New York
Times, joined our project and tested
its objectives with key people in
major multinational corporations,
such as McDonald’s and American
Express. Many stories of difficult
clashes with religious and cultural
sensitivities emerged.
We came to the conclusion,
according to our plan, that we needed
a multi-faceted team of experts from
different fields to address these ques-
tions. The Harvard Divinity School
will be at the core of the project, but
to study how Islam is affecting busi-
ness, civil society, the media, labor,
and gender issues within the context
of globalization in a particular region,
we needed other perspectives.
We invited seven research-based
centers within Harvard University to
join us, such as the Harvard Business
School; the Shorenstein Center on
the Press, Politics, and Public Policy;
the Hauser Center for Non-Profit
Organizations; and the Kennedy
School of Government. We have
asked each center to donate a research
fellow for our team. Some have
already accepted while others are still
in the process of negotiation. The
Principal Investigators of this project
are Professor Lawrence E. Sullivan,
who directs the Center for the Study
of World Religions, and Professor
David Little, director of the Center
for the Study of Values in Public Life.
We decided to focus on five broad
religious and cultural traditions:
Islam, Christianity, Confucianism/
Buddhism, Hinduism, and Judaism.
Within each tradition, we have selected
three or four countries that show a
high level of global interaction and
are large enough to lend themselves to
comparisons that will produce valid
indicators and predictable scenarios.
We are planning to begin the first
case study of Islam and globalization
in Indonesia and, possibly, in Turkey,
and Egypt. A research team composed
of Harvard fellows and researchers
from local universities in these coun-
tries will collect data on each sector of
our project. The structure of the proj-
ect will allow case studies to overlap.
The study of all five religious tradi-
tions will be completed in three years.
How does your project address the
gap between rich and poor? Do you
envision this work leading to opportu-
nities for equity and empowerment?
It is certainly known that globaliza- “Religious leaders cannot escape
tion has enhanced the divide between
the fact that their mission is not only
rich and poor; one can easily take the
view that globalization is bad. But I’d the spiritual mission of liberating
like to suggest another way of looking individuals, but also a mission to be
at it. We often speak of globalization responsible to local and global society.”
in ideological terms, as if we can pic- ......................
ture “globalization” as a single factor
that is actually acting, like a force that
ment formed in the 1970s. According
drives inequity.
to these theories, all societies would
My approach to globalization is to
secularize through the Western
de-ideologize the term, and attempt
processes of industrialization, techni-
instead to measure the major trends
cal specialization, and urbanization.
that are responsible for the intensifi-
Contrary to these predictions, reli-
cation of global interconnections
gions have taken up a public role in
What we need to know is the extensi-
many societies, especially in develop-
ty, intensity, velocity, and impact of
ing countries. This can be negative, as
these global trends. This applies to
we saw in the Balkans with the mobi-
international trade, capital flows,
lization of religion for political causes
exchange of information, or even to
that we did not understand. At the
cultural and religious symbols. Our
same time, there is a positive engage-
study is strongly committed to face
ment of religions aimed at reorienting
the questions of inequity, injustice,
globalization. We have seen this in
and sustainability from an ethical per-
the formation of religious NGOs to
spective, but on the basis of empirical
support issues such as human rights,
data in order to avoid ideological sim-
debt relief, stewardship for the envi-
plifications.
ronment, corporate responsibility, and
many others causes.
How are world religions responding
to globalization today?
Are some religions more socially
There are certainly groups of people, engaged than others?
such as the Muslim bloc or the
The kind of social engagement I am
Chinese bloc or people in Southeast
describing is typically born from the
Asia or Africa who look at globaliza-
Judeo-Christian traditions which have
tion and say, “What is this? This is
a long-standing history of systematic
not how we live. This is not our
ethical reflection on socio-economic
world. And this is driving out our
and political interactions. And yet
way of life, our traditions.” One
there are other examples, such as
aspect of our project is a desire to give
engaged Buddhism, which is one of
voice to people from those parts of
the most exciting examples of how
the world that usually are not heard
religions can actually change. As
on a global scale.
Chris Queen pointed out in his book,
What is already happening is a
Engaged Buddhism in the West, this is
revival of religious activism in differ-
a very late phenomenon dating back
ent countries. The increasingly promi-
only 50 years and resulting from a
nent role played by religion in public 7
kind of East/West learning experi-
affairs contrasts with the predictions .
ence. We now have the Dalai Lama .
expressed in the theories of seculariza- .
speaking out for world peace, world
tion, modernization, and develop- .
continued on page 14 .
.

CONFERENCE SERIES
Change the World!
continued from page 1
system, found it more economical to
sell bootlegged CDs on the streets of
Nicaragua than to continue a career
as a nurse. He also told the story of a
young protestor who was murdered.
Pedulla’s poignant experiences
were followed by Bello’s sweeping cri-
tique of global economic institutions
entitled “Crisis of Legitimacy: The
Revolt Against Corporate-Driven
Globalization.” Citing numerous
studies and sources that included
Meltzer Commission findings, he
Tess Browne Mike Prokosch
systematically critiqued the status quo.
As director of Thailand-based Focus
on the Global South, Bello pointed to
the Asian financial crisis and divisions
between the U.S. and the European
Union, arguing that these institutions
of global economic governance are in
the midst of a “crisis of legitimacy.”
Furthermore, he charted a clear
course for the future: “They should
be abolished if they have become
fundamentally dysfunctional,” he
said. “Can we really say that the
IMF can be reformed to bring about
global financial stability, the World
Bank to reduce poverty, and the
WTO to bring about fair trade?”
Bello explained how the current
crisis opens the door to reform, but
8 expressed vehement opposition to
reform within the system, such as the
. globalization: “It’s not about trade, it’s
. World Bank’s efforts to reach out to
. about using trade to support turbo
. NGOs. A mere “expansion of the
.
.
agenda” should not be interpreted as
a commitment to democracy, he
warned, especially given that world-
wide poverty increased throughout
the 1990s, and 80 percent of World
Bank resources are devoted to coun-
tries with positive credit ratings.
Sharpened by his recent participa-
tion in the World Social Forum in
Porto Alegre, Brazil, Bello’s vision
encouraged the deconstruction of
institutional power and a process of
“deglobalization” that places the econ-
omy within local communities to
avoid dependence on external finan-
cial mechanisms. “It is time to abort
this arrogant globalist project of mak-
Jia Ching Chen Charlie Derber
ing the world a synthetic unity. It is
time to herald instead an internation-
alism that is built on, tolerates, respects,
and enhances the diversity of human
communities and the diversity of
life,” he said.
The momentum of Bello’s remarks
propelled the first Saturday morning
session which addressed the structure
of the global justice movement. Mike
Prokosch of United for a Fair Economy
moderated the panel entitled “Organized
Chaos or Chaotic Organization?”
which featured Boston College sociol-
ogy professor Charles Derber, award-
winning author and journalist Naomi
Klein, and JustAct youth organizer
Jia Ching Chen.
Naomi Klein delivered a series of
scathing assessments of the reality of
capitalism,” she said. “Global trade is
not the problem; it’s the strings and
conditions suctioned onto it.” She
spoke of the World Social Forum in
Porto Alegre where 10,000 people
had gathered the week before to
celebrate grassroots democracy. “We
have to rethink the movement and
who it represents,” she said. “The
global has to go local and the local
has to go global.”
Charlie Derber brought an his-
torical point-of-view to the debate,
describing how the “corpocracy” has
replaced formerly democratic systems
with “unaccountable institutions.”
He interpreted the current movement
as “a second wave of global populism,”
Naomi Klein
not unlike the Progressive Era (1879-
1920) that occurred in America as
“Robber Barons” were amassing
huge profits. He also identified con-
tradictions within the global justice
movement that defy historical com-
parison, such as the global scope of
the movement and its defiant decen-
tralization. Rejecting the idea that the
movement might become a political
party, he suggested a need for struc-
ture. “We need to find some organi-
zational structures and link to main-
stream organizations in the labor
movement or the environmental
movement,” he said.
Youth activist Jia Ching Chen pre-
sented an in-the-trenches perspective
that resisted the kind of structural
organization Derber espoused. He
echoed the Zapatista slogan of “one
NO and many yeses” as he described
a movement of many forces and con-
stituencies. “How can we create a
movement and a vision that supports
grassroots work like the Zapatistas
have done?” he asked. “We need a
space for the pluralism to emerge.”
The second Saturday session featured
a panel discussion entitled “Race and
the Global Justice Movement” moder-
ated by Gabriel Camacho, president
of the Massachusetts Chapter of the
Labor Council for Latin American
Advancement. Tess Browne, organiz-
ing coordinator of the Mass Action
for Women Audit, encouraged the
audience to think of today’s globaliza-
tion as an extension of the colonial-
ism initiated by the West half a mille-
nium ago. While the Seattle protests
at the end of 1999 may have, in the
words of one participant, “put the
white face of legitimacy” on the
global justice movement, Browne
described economic justice as a battle
that people of color have been fight-
ing for centuries. “Who bears the
burden?” she asked, then emphasized
the fact that the status of women and
children suffers the most under the
rules mandated by the IMF. Chen’s
remarks focused on his experience
with a delegation of 50 young people
of color at the WTO meeting in
Seattle. He explained how they had
played “a key role” in broadening
understanding of the movement.
After lunch, the theater group
Class Acts presented a satirical skit
WORLD SOCIAL What?
The World Social Forum (Fórum
Social Mundial) is an international
arena for the promotion of human
rights, social justice, and sustainable
development. Starting this year, it
will take place annually in the city
of Porto Alegre, Brazil, during the
same late-January period as the World
Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Since 1971, the World Economic
Forum has been sponsored by a Swiss
Mini-conferences at Change the World! involved attendees in face-to-face discussion.
entitled “Race to the Bottom” that
hilariously dramatized many of the
abstract concepts that had emerged
during the sessions. This popular skit
was followed by an inspirational
“case study” on a coalition of organi-
zations called the Boston Global
Action Network (BGAN). With
workplace activist and author Tim
Costello adding his insights to the
mix, BGAN members Cassie Watters,
Matthew Borus, Amy-Simone Erard,
and Basav Sen shared their various
struggles, achievements, and aspira-
tions as members of BGAN.
In the closing summary, one idea
seemed to stand out: the way forward
for global justice is through coalition
building, dialogue, and a profound
respect for diversity among races,
genders, and generations. Poet and
activist Dennis Brutus cautioned the
organization that serves as a consultant
to the United Nations. It is financed
by more than one thousand corpora-
tions. By contrast, the World Social
Forum provides a space for building
economic alternatives, exchanging
experiences, and strengthening
North/South alliances between NGOs,
unions, and social movements.
BRC speakers Walden Bello and
Naomi Klein were among the 10,000
participants in the 2001 World Social
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
CONFERENCE SERIES
audience to avoid elitism by depending
too heavily on the Internet for organi-
zational structure. Conference co-
organizer Charles Derber commented
that after listening to the “wisdom of
the young people here,” he once again
felt “comfortable trusting people under
30,” and Elise Boulding received a
round of applause for her call for an
intergenerational “partnership between
the over-80’s and under-20’s.” Klein
urged participants to engage in the
“challenge of popular education” and
to remain positive. “Optimism is a
form of activism too, because opti-
mism is contagious,” she said. This
idea was echoed by Bello who brought
a new twist to a popular quip by stat-
ing. “Rather than a pessimism of the
intellect and an optimism of the will,
we need an optimism of the intellect
and an optimism of the will.” ■
— Adam Gamble
Forum. Dr. Bello’s Focus on the Global
South was one of 150 organizations
to endorse the document, Porto
Alegre Call for Mobilization.
The World Social Forum was
barely mentioned in the American
press, though international news
agencies like the BBC or Le Monde
Diplomatique provided detailed
coverage. 9
For further information, go to .
www.forum socialmundial.org.br .
.
.
.
— MARTIN LUTHER KING, 1963 .

DEVELOPMENT AS FREEDOM
......................
A CONVERSATION WITH AMARTYA SEN
HOW CAN
societies
increase quality
of life and
economic
prosperity?
Is freedom
an end in
itself, or is it
Amartya Sen the principal
means of achieving development?
Which measures are appropriate as
we assess development efforts?
According to Amartya Sen, issues
of economic development cannot be
detached from the full context of
human life. In his most recent book,
Development as Freedom (Alfred A.
Knopf, 1999) he offers a thorough
analysis of how the “irreducible inter-
dependence of different types of free-
doms in human life” compel us to
approach development from a posi-
tion which values freedom above all.
On April 3, Amartya Sen came to the
BRC to share this provocative point
of view with a standing-room-only
audience of over 200 people.
The thesis he outlined in his talk
is stated clearly in the preface of his
book: “There is a deep complemen-
tarity between individual agency and
social arrangements. It is important to
give simultaneous recognition to the
centrality of individual freedom and
to the force of social influences on
the extent and reach of individual
freedom. To counter the problems
that we face, we have to see individ-
ual freedom as a social commitment.
This is the basic approach that this
work tries to explore and examine…
10
expansion of freedom is viewed, in
. this approach, both as the primary
.
. end and the principal means of
. development.”
.
.
In a brilliant career that began in
India with a keen interest in theories
of social choice, Professor Sen has
brought fresh insights to the forefront
of his profession for over 40 years.
He is The Master of Trinity College
at Cambridge University in England,
and Lamont University Professor
Emeritus at Harvard University. His
widely published work on the social
contexts of poverty and famine led to
the Nobel Prize for Economic Science
in 1998. He is, among other things,
responsible for the startling and
irrefutable observation that no famine
has ever occurred within the frame-
work of a democratic government.
Among the key points of his talk
was the importance of understanding
the interlinkages between five differ-
ent types of “instrumental” freedoms:
political freedoms, economic oppor-
tunities, social opportunities, open-
ness or transparency guarantees, and
protective security to ensure a safety
net to all members of the population.
As he focuses on these five types of
freedoms in his book, Professor Sen
points out that their ability to rein-
force one another should be consid-
ered in the creation of development
policies. Interestingly, the impetus for
Development as Freedom was a series
of seminars he conducted at the
World Bank in 1996. Since then, the
ideas expressed in those seminars have
helped to shape World Bank policy.
While the word “freedom” appears
frequently in Amartya Sen’s discourse,
his definition of development might
be described as the process of remov-
ing “unfreedoms” that inhibit or limit
an individual’s ability to improve his
or her condition. He expressed his
view that, “The market is not evil,
but you have to enhance many other
opportunities to make use of the mar-
ket economy.” In Sen’s view, a free
market represents precisely the kind
of opportunity that has the potential
to lift individuals and societies out of
poverty, especially when viewed in a
broad context that goes beyond prod-
ucts and services to encompass the
marketplace of ideas, information,
labor, and enhancements to public
services such as education and access
to healthcare.
In the introduction to Development
as Freedom, he makes his position
clear: “It is hard to think that any
process of substantial development
can do without very extensive use of
markets, but that does not preclude
the role of social support, public reg-
ulation, or statecraft when they can
enrich—rather than impoverish—
human lives.”
Professor Sen’s appearance included
a lively question-and-answer session
focused on a range of issues from racial
inequality to American consumerism.
Among the questioners was Bruno
Tardieu of the Fourth World Movement
who credited Professor Sen with pro-
Students from the JFK School of Government
were eager to meet Professor Sen.
viding an intellectual framework in
which to view hunger within its social
context. Tardieu also raised the issue
of the importance of giving voice to
poor people.
“This is extremely important,”
Professor Sen replied. “One can think
of many situations where pockets of
continued on next page
hunger survive in very rich countries.
And it is true, what you suggest, that
many of the deprived families are
families who have very little interac-
tion with others.”
Professor Sen also offered his
views on many other issues:
On human dignity: “One of the char-
acteristics of human beings is that we
adapt to deprivation. Growing up in
India, I was struck with how people
create happiness in their lives, even in
the most adverse economic and social
surroundings. We admire the person
who does this, but we do not ignore
the deprivation.”
On consumption: “The important
thing is not to blame the market but
for each of us to make intelligent
decisions in the marketplace.”
On conflicts among different kinds of
freedom: “Insofar as some freedoms
are more important than others, this
has to emerge from ourselves. That is
a very important issue.”
On Enlightenment: “Sometimes peo-
ple will say that the idea of ‘enlight-
enment’ is a western idea, overlooking
the fact that Buddha means enlight-
ened one and that the idea that you
have to examine what your values are
has been just as much valued in other
cultures. That issue is present just as
much in social dialogue about what
freedoms are important as it is in
individual reflection.”
In Development as Freedom,
Professor Sen expresses a deeply
humanistic perspective that speaks to
scholars, students, and social activists:
“With adequate social opportunities,
individuals can effectively shape their
own destiny and help each other.
They need not be seen primarily as
passive recipients of the benefits of
cunning development programs.
There is indeed a strong rationale for
recognizing the positive role of free
and sustainable agency—and even of
constructive impatience.” ■
— Patti M. Sides
RIANE EISLER
......................
ON PARTNERSHIP ECONOMICS
“IT’S INTERESTING
isn’t it, that we
usually don’t think
of economics and
caring in the same
breath?” This was
the first of many
thought-provoking
questions posed
Riane Eisler
by Riane Eisler
as she challenged perceptions of the
current economic system in her talk
entitled, Toward an Economics of Caring.
Drawing on examples from the near
and distant past, Eisler examined the
relationship between economics and
human relations, stressing the advan-
tages of partnership over dominator
models of social organization.
She demonstrated that these two
basic models underlie the many dif-
ferent kinds of social organization.
One common manifestation of the
“dominator model,” patriarchy,
ranks one half of humanity over the
other. By contrast, she proposes that
a “partnership or mutual respect
model” of caregiving should become
more highly-valued in human society.
“I am speaking of a system that
will support caregiving and that will
also support the meeting of our basic
human needs; not only our material
needs but our emotional and spiritual
needs.”
She went on to explain that in a
dominator society like ours, the work
of women is systematically devalued.
Furthermore, caregiving is primarily
associated with women. Because of
a system of valuation that does not
take the work of the female half of
humanity into account, our socio-
economic system is distorted by
The most violent element in society is ignorance.
unrecognized contributions and
hampered by a host of unmet needs.
In her latest book, Tomorrow’s
Children, Eisler illustrates ways in
which we can change the system of
valuation through education in order
to move toward the partnership
model. She writes, “Among other
features of ‘partnership education’
there is complete gender balance
woven into the entire educational
fabric, the entire learning tapestry.”
In closing, Dr. Eisler challenged
the audience to think of ideas for
economic inventions to make care-
giving more visible, such as publicly
financed training for caregiving.
“I think that we need to move to a
time where not just cosmeticians, the
people who do your nails, have to get
some type of training, but also people
who do care giving… It will pay for
itself a thousand-fold.” ■
— Leeta White
Save the Date!
WOMEN’S LECTURE
SERIES ON
HUMAN VALUES
SPONSORED BY
WELLESLEY CENTERS FOR WOMEN
AND THE BRC
Tuesday Evening,
February 12, 2002
In Honor of Fannie Lou Hamer
(1917–1977)
GUEST SPEAKER
Linda Stout, author of Bridging
11
the Class Divide, and other Lessons
for Grassroots Organizing .
.
.
.
.
— EMMA GOLDMAN, C.1920 .
 HOW TO TALK ABOUT TALKING TOGETHER
A REPORT FROM THE SOCIETY FOR BUDDHIST-CHRISTIAN STUDIES
DIALOGUE. IT BUILDS BRIDGES OF
mutual understanding and empathy
across the divides of self and other.
It extends the sometimes-fumbling
hands of language across realms of
religion, culture, and gender. It aims
to create a synthesis of understanding,
deepened and enriched by disparate
views and experiences. Central to this
pursuit is our framework for under-
standing “the other,” either as an
equal from whom we have much to
Terry Muck, Virginia Straus, and Miriam
Levering at AAR 2000.
learn, or as a lost soul in need of
salvation/enlightenment. In the arena
of inter-religious dialogue, how does
tradition inform our efforts to under-
stand others?
These issues were addressed on the
outskirts of Nashville, Tennessee, last
November in a room overlooking the
winding waterways of the Opryland
Resort. Beneath a fifteen-story glass
dome overlooking a New Orleans-style
collection of shops and restaurants,
the Society for Buddhist-Christian
Studies took up the theme for the
year 2000 annual meeting at the
American Academy of Religion con-
12 ference: Beyond the Usual Alternatives?
. Buddhist and Christian Approaches to
.
. Other Religions.
.
.
.
......................
Miriam Levering of the University
of Tennessee, opened with an East
Asian/American Buddhist approach
which tested the classic positions
known as inclusive, exclusive, and
pluralist against the views of such
divergent Buddhist teachers as the
12th Century Chinese Ch’an teacher
Ta-Hui and the contemporary
Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hahn.
Levering pointed out that Buddhists
typically evaluate another religion
or lineage by analyzing its three
component parts:
• Teachings, which may be evaluated
on a spectrum from skillful and
fully liberating to unskillful and
hampering liberation;
• Practice, the contemplation and
training intended to actualize the
teachings;
• Realization, the quality of the
person’s actual insight into and
interaction with life that is the
outcome of their practice.
It is in the area of realization, the
personal religious awakening that
transcends specific traditions, where
some Buddhists find the greatest chance
for common ground with other tradi-
tions. This is illustrated in Thich
Nhat Hahn’s work, Living Buddha,
Living Christ, where he asserts, “It is
not words or concepts that are impor-
tant. What is important is our insight
into the nature of reality and our way
of responding to reality.”
In his presentation on the Christian
approach, Terry Muck of Austin
Presbyterian Theological Seminary
questioned “The Paradigm,” the three-
fold classification of Christian approaches
to other religions: inclusivism, exclu-
sivism, and pluralism. Muck argued
that these categories had become
loaded with pejorative meanings and
are no longer sufficient to address
complex theological issues. Rather
than reject “The Paradigm” outright,
Dr. Muck called for a less ideological
and more instrumental use of the
three labels to describe specific beliefs
and judgments, not the totality of a
person’s outlook. Muck argued that
such instrumental usage of terms
might lead to less stereotyping and
more substantive dialogue about the
complexities of inter-religious issues.
As the Buddhist respondent, BRC
executive director Virginia Straus
introduced alternative approaches to
religious difference, as reflected in the
more recent scholarship, which place
greater emphasis on the process of
engaging with difference by under-
standing a religious belief on its own
terms. This view approaches differ-
ences among beliefs and world views
as areas of exploration, not problems
to be solved. After her introduction
Straus turned to the issues of salva-
tion and dialogue, noting that the
missionary impulse had been the
driving force for Christians to engage
in cross-cultural dialogue. She urged
that this salvation impulse be main-
tained and transformed by “…mov-
ing beyond the rather hard-hearted
question of who’s saved and who’s
not.” Straus argued for a larger view:
“Christians might see that in earthly
terms, everyone needs saving …from
ignorance …from destruction …
and from danger.” She advocated an
inter-religious dialogue leading to
a consensus on global ethics, thus
freeing people to work together
toward economic justice, preventing
warfare, and halting the destruction
of the biosphere. ■
— Bill Aiken

CONTRARY TO ECONOMIC THEORY,
Third World countries have not been
lifted out of poverty by a robust
world economy. While policy ques-
tions have focused on international
economic institutions, there is a larger,
ethical issue underlying the debate.
How do we define economic justice
in a climate of globalization? What
role should religious leaders and prac-
titioners of religious traditions play in
rethinking a global society? It is this
intersection of economics, morality,
ethics, and religion that forms the
focus of the BRC’s forthcoming book,
Subverting Greed: Religious Conscience
and the Global Economy.
Designed as an interfaith “dialogue”
to address the role of religion in global
economic justice, Subverting Greed is
well underway with an impressive
slate of contributors selected by co-
editors Paul Knitter of Xavier
University and Chandra Muzaffar
of the International Movement for a
Just World (JUST). A final essay by
well-known feminist economist
Radhika Balakrishnan will summa-
rize and synthesize the issues
addressed by the seven contributors,
each of whom is a practitioner of the
religious tradition they write about:
Ameer Ali teaches in the
Department of Economics at the
University of Western Australia. He
will write from the Islamic tradition.
His most recent book is entitled From
Penury to Plenty: Development of Oil
Rich Brunei, 1906 to Present.
Ifi Amadiume is a professor of
religion and women’s studies at
Dartmouth College. Her most recent
book is Daughters of the Goddess,
Daughters of Imperialism: African
Women Struggle for Culture, Power,
and Democracy. She will write from
the indigenous African Igbo tradition.
BOOK TALK
......................
SUBVERTING GREED TAKES SHAPE
David Loy’s deep experience with Swami Agni Vesh serves as chair
Buddhism combined with his global of the United Nations Trust Fund on
perspective will inform his essay from Contemporary Forms of Slavery and
the Buddhist tradition. He teaches on the Bandhua Mukti Morcha (Bonded
the Faculty of International Studies at Labor Liberation Front). His most
Bunkyo University in Japan and his recent book is entitled Swami Agnivesh:
books include Non-Duality: A Study Religion, Spirituality, Social Action, A
in Comparative Philosophy and A New Agenda for Humanity. He will
Buddhist History of the West: Studies in write from the Hindu tradition.
Lack.
Zhou Qin is a young scholar
Sallie McFague taught for 30 teaching at the National University of
years at Vanderbilt University School Singapore who recently completed
of Theology prior to her retirement her dissertation under the supervision
last spring. She is now serving as of Tu Wei Ming at Harvard’s
Distinguished Theologian in Yenching Institute. She will write
Residence at the Vancouver School of from the Confucian perspective.
Theology. Her most recent book is
Subverting Greed: Religious
Life Abundant: Rethinking Theology
Conscience and the Global Economy
and Economy for a Planet in Peril.
will be published by Orbis Books in
Norman Solomon is an Orthodox 2002 as part of their Faith Meets
Rabbi currently teaching at Oxford Faith Series. ■
University’s Oriental Institute. He has
played a large part in interfaith dia- BRC BOOK NOTE
logue and will contribute the essay Subverting Hatred: The Challenge
from the perspective of Judaism. His of Nonviolence in Religious Traditions
book entitled Judaism and World (Orbis 1999) was adopted for
Religion addresses economic issues, use in 18 American colleges and
among a range of themes. universities in the year 2000.
WORDS WORTH REPEATING
Ecological economics sees land very differently: it is more
like our “mother” than our “property.” It is the source of
our being, the one from whom we can never be weaned,
and the one that we must now take care of. These two ways
of thinking—of land as property and as mother—suggest
the total mind-shift necessary if we are to move from the
one to the other: a conversion from a narrow, self-centered
consumer mentality of abundance for the fortunate to an earth-centered,
inclusive, long-term vision of the good life for all, including the planet. Both
are images of the good life, both are models or paradigms of utopias—neither
is a description of how things are. One is not reality and the other fantasy; 13
both have elements of reality (human greed or human need) and fantasy (indi-
.
vidual material satisfaction or inclusive community well-being). Both are candi- .
.
dates for our affirmation, commitment, and hard work. — SALLIE MCFAGUE .
continued on page 15 .
From Life Abundant: Rethinking Theology and Economy for a Planet in Peril .

Ikeda Proposal
continued from page 1
All of Ikeda’s ideas lead from the
classroom to society. “It is important
to cultivate humanism in our children
through actual experience in society,”
he says. With this in mind, he pro-
motes volunteerism and community
involvement to counteract the preva-
lence of the Internet, television, and
video games in children’s lives. The
proposal also addresses higher educa-
tion and the importance of interna-
tional exchange to ensure respect for
diversity and an atmosphere of freedom.
The full text of President Ikeda’s
Education Proposal is available at
www.sokagakkai.or.jp.
Annual Peace Proposal
Emphasizes Women’s
Leadership for Peace
Daisaku Ikeda’s 2001 peace proposal
is entitled Creating and Sustaining a
Century of Life: Challenges for a New
Era. As he outlines his vision for the
Vittorio Falsina
continued from page 7
development, and social justice. But
it’s not just leaders; there are also spe-
cific Buddhist groups in Sri Lanka
and Thailand. Worldwide, Soka
Gakkai (SGI) is perhaps the most
interesting phenomenon, particularly
in the United States where social
engagement began with the fight
against racism. SGI is now one of the
most diverse religious groups in
America, and has evolved beyond
racial issues to a range of peace and
justice issues.
How will the role of religious leaders
change as world religions become
more involved in global activities? Will
spiritual leaders become politicians?
14 They don’t have to become politicians,
but they do have to play a socially
.
. responsible role. They cannot escape
. the fact that their mission is not only
.
.
.
21st century, President Ikeda touches
on many themes, including the role
of the family as the “crucible” of
humanity, economic inequities driven
by globalization, the role of NGOs in
building a new international order,
the global environment and the Earth
Charter movement, and the role of
women in the world today.
In recent years, women’s leader-
ship for peace has been a recurring
theme in Ikeda’s prolific writings.
“The century of life must also be the
century of women,” he says. His
belief that women are naturally ori-
ented toward harmony and unity
connects with his larger themes of
“creative coexistence” and the central
role of women in family life. “The
protagonists of the family are
women,” he explains.
Ikeda’s peace proposal is released
annually on January 26, a date which
marks the anniversary of Soka Gakkai
International (SGI). For a free copy
of the Peace Proposal, please contact
the Center.
the spiritual mission of liberating
individuals, but also a mission to be
responsible to local and global society.
How are religious leaders joining the
dialogue on globalization?
Last August, I was present when 1,000
religious leaders gathered in New York
at the assembly room of the United
Nations to develop a statement about
what religions can do for peace. And
earlier this year, Professor David
Little and I were invited to facilitate a
dialogue between a group of religious
leaders and world economists at the
World Economic Forum in Davos,
Switzerland. We had three days to
coach and prepare these religious
leaders to achieve a common view to
convey to the assembly, which turned
out to be a nine-point program
designed to bring the moral authority
of religion to the great challenges of
the global agenda.
For the Sake of Peace:
Seven Paths to Global Harmony
BY DAISAKU IKEDA
HARDBACK, 252 PAGES
MIDDLEWAY PRESS, $25.95
For the Sake of Peace is based on 25
years of peace proposals and university
lectures by Daisaku Ikeda. By con-
densing the substance of these writ-
ings into one volume, SGI president
Ikeda has delineated seven “paths to
peace” for those searching for practi-
cal, as well as spiritual, guidance. The
seven paths are self-mastery, dialogue
and tolerance, community, culture,
nations, global awareness, and disar-
mament. Each “path” is the focus of
a chapter and each chapter draws on
many sources of inspiration from
Thomas Paine to Ikeda’s own mentor,
Josei Toda. Ikeda has devoted decades
of his life to peacework. The wisdom
of his experience is presented here
with compelling simplicity. ■
For the Sake of Peace is available
from your favorite bookseller or
on-line at www.middlewaypress.org
Davos was a very guarded meeting
this year, with an anti-globalization
meeting happening in Porto Alegre,
Brazil. The religious leaders were very
clear in saying, “Thank you for invit-
ing us to Davos, but do not think
you can co-opt our voice by inviting
us.” They made a very beautiful state-
ment in which they offered them-
selves as a bridge in the form of an
advisory council of world religious
leaders to advise the UN, the World
Economic Forum, the World Bank,
and any other institution making
decisions on a global scale.
What outcomes and deliverables do
you anticipate from your project?
We anticipate deliverables in all the
sectors of investigation, along with
the elaboration of interdisciplinary
and comparative data. General infor-
mation will be accessible on a Web
continued on next page
Vittorio Falsina The Mission Statement How to Reach Us
continued from previous page of the Boston Research WE WELCOME YOUR ADVICE, IDEAS,
Site. In addition, each sector will Center and comments, as well as requests
develop specific products tailored THE BOSTON RESEARCH CENTER for complimentary exam copies or
for the use of their audience. For FOR THE 21ST CENTURY is an general information. Individual staff
instance, the Center for the Study of international peace institute that members can be reached by calling
World Religions will produce books fosters dialogue among scholars 617-491-1090 or via fax at 617-491-
on world religions and globalization; and activists on common values 1169. Extensions and email addresses
the Harvard Business School will
across cultures and religions. We are listed below:
develop business case studies to teach
seek in this way to support an Virginia Straus, Executive Director,
in training programs; the Kennedy
evolving global ethic for a peace- Ext. 223, vstraus@brc21.org
School will create white papers for
government. The Shorenstein Center ful twenty-first century. The
Center collaborates with univer- Shirley Chandl, Office Manager,
will produce news stories and docu-
sities and citizen groups to spon- Ext. 224, schandl@brc21.org
mentaries for public broadcasting.
We foresee a wide range of outcomes. sor symposia, conferences, lec- Masashiro Hagiya, Administrative
tures, and other dialogues that and Financial Manager, Ext. 221,
What is your own vision of the future
bring attention to constructive mhagiya@brc21.0rg
of globalization?
ideas for the development of civil
It is naive to think that globalization can Patti Marxsen Sides, Publications
society and peace cultures world-
be undone. We have created an infra- Manager, Ext. 235, psides@brc21.org
wide. Focal points of the Center’s
structure of technology, communica- Publications Dept., Fax: 617-492-5850
work include human rights, non-
tion, and travel that will increase global
interactions. I think people want to violence, environmental ethics, Beth Zimmerman, Events Manager,
move forward, not by more of the same economic justice, and women’s Ext. 226, bzimmerman@brc21.org
kind of globalization, but by making leadership for peace. The Center
General Email Address:
globalization more human. Companies was founded in 1993 by Daisaku
center@brc21.org
and communities need to think in Ikeda, a Buddhist peace activist
terms of enlightened self-interest. It is and President of Soka Gakkai BRC Staff members are deeply grate-
our hope that by eliciting the contri- International (SGI), a religious ful for the invaluable support of two
bution of religions and cultures, we association with members in 163 talented work-study students, Megan
will help to recast the discussion and countries. Boreman and Leeta White. We also
process of globalization. ■ acknowledge the assistance of Gail
Bowman, Bob Cornell, and our many
Editor’s Note volunteers.
AFTER SIX MONTHS AS THE PUBLICATION MANAGER, Newsletter
I am beginning to develop an understanding of just how
Editor: Patti Marxsen Sides
big the Center’s mission is. The over-arching term “global
Contributors: Bill Aiken,
ethics” touches on so many important issues and day-to-
day concerns of people everywhere. Here at the BRC, we try to advance Adam Gamble, Helen Marie Casey,
this agenda every day with substantive programs and publications that Virginia Straus, Leeta White
bring many voices together. Desktop Publishing: Carol Dirga
In this issue, we focus on economic justice with lively summaries of our Photo Credits: BRC Staff, Marilyn
recent conference series, a thought-provoking guest interview with Vittorio Humphries, SGI, Martin Volker
Falsina, and an update on our book-in-progress, Subverting Greed: Religious Printing Services: Eagle Offset,
Conscience and the Global Economy. As editor of this newsletter, my hope is Haverhill
that everyone who opens it will find it difficult to put down. Whether you
find useful information, words of inspiration, or a sense of common pur-
pose, we want this newsletter to speak to you, as much as it speaks to the
There’s even more online!
Check it out soon. 15
issues. Please let us know if we have succeeded.
.
— Patti M. Sides, Publications Manager www.brc21.org .
.
.
.
Understanding human needs is half the job of meeting them. — ADLAI STEVENSON, 1952 .
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